I’ve looked, believe me. I searched and searched online – and not just the Anglosphere, either. German-language, French-language, Japanese… Everyone and their cousin seems to agree: the C126 is an absolutely magnificent example of Mercedes at their level best. And it seems CC agrees, judging by past posts on the subject. Such unanimous positivity is pretty rare. Are there any nits that need picking or is this really a case of Benz peaking?
In 1979, Mercedes-Benz unveiled the W126 saloon (in regular and long wheelbase, like its predecessor); this was followed by the C126 hardtop coupé in 1981 – the new S-Class range was complete. Simple, but effective. The coupé came in two versions: 3.8 litre and 5-litre V8. No puny sixes or dirty Diesels for M-B’s exclusive two-door, thank you very much. Both were powerful enough, though the 5-litre took a while to reach the shores of America, only making it there by 1984. Better late than never.
As a car nut, one can only love this advert. The claim that a Benz was the first automobile to bear the name “coupé” is a little dubious, but that depiction of the evolution of the Mercedes’ top two-doors between 1935 and 1982 is fascinating. Hard to pick a favourite, isn’t it? What it also shows is how large the C126 was compared to its ancestors.
Big Benz coupés never stopped growing. The wheelbase of the W111/112 was a relatively modest 2750mm; the C107’s grew to 2820mm and 2850mm for the C126. But then the C140 that followed grew to 2944mm between the wheels, so the trend is clear. The same goes for width measurements. And engine displacement too. Makes sense.
Our feature car is a first series model (1981-85), but the 500 SEC was carried over after the obligatory (but muted) facelift. The 380 SEC, which was mostly made for the US market, disappeared from the range in the summer of 1985, replaced by the 420 SEC. As this was the go-go ‘80s, an even-plusher 560 SEC was introduced at the very apex of the range at the same time. All told, Daimler-Benz sold over 73,000 C126s in ten years – a mightily respectable score for such a high-status automobile. The 500 was the most produced model (just over 30k units) by a whisker, but then it was the only one that existed for the entire run. The 5-litre provides 228hp, propelling this 2.2-ton two-door to 210kph (130mph) – a true Autobahn cruiser.
The name of the game for Mercedes-Benzes of this era was over-engineering, so there are a lot of ‘80s/’90s still prowling the pavement. But most of the ones I encounter are W123s, W124s and W201s – they’re a daily sight in Tokyo traffic, especially the W124s. Classic S-Class Mercedes, by contrast, are a bit less common. The W126 saloon is the one I see most often, but the coupé is a rare sight here, especially compared to the W111s and C107s.
I’m not sure why that is, though I’m pretty sure this is a Japanese market car from new – that oh-so-period correct fabric upholstery is a strong indication of that, as is the two-digit (pre-2000) license plate number. No doubt these were very expensive at the time. This, coupled with the car’s size, might have pushed Japanese customers to go for the more sensible E-Class.
For such a big car, the rear seat is quite a tight fit. But then, that’s the case for all M-B coupés. You really want to sit in the back? Get the four-door.
Said four-door is a handsome car, but the coupé is at least a couple notches above. That face, with the low SL-style grille sans stand-up ornamental tri-pointed star and those shapely composite headlamps (the US model ones were atrocious) make for a suitably modern take on the Benz design language. The rear end is fine – very similar, if not identical, to the saloon. But the best bit is the middle, with that smoothly swooping beltline and the pillarless greenhouse. A masterstroke by Bruno Sacco.
Still, if we must pick a nit, here’s one: that door handle is just plain wrong. It should have been a much simpler design, more discreet. What was wrong with the ones on the saloon? They should have kept those. Perhaps chromed, or painted (as these ended up being on facelift coupés), but certainly not as they appear on this car.
So is this peak Benz in two-door form? Well, yes and no. There is no denying this is an outstanding model. Perhaps no S-Class coupé ever surpassed it, as the C140 that followed was a tad too bulky for its own good and the C107 that came before felt as if it was an afterthought of the R107 it was hewn from. But as far as I’m concerned, the C126 is a bit too clinical, an overachiever. It wins by reason, it’s the logical one. But the glorious W111/112 is the one that will always win my heart in the end.
Related posts:
Auto-Biography/Curbside Classic: 1989 Mercedes 560SEC – My Former Lust Object, by PN
Car Show Outtakes: 1979-1991 Mercedes-Benz W126 And C126 S-Class – Timeless Autobahn Gliders, by Johannes Dutch
Vintage R&T Review: 1982 Mercedes 380SEC – You Get What You Pay For – Excellence, by PN
COAL (COJL) – 1991 Mercedes Benz 560 SEC – Only The Best Car Ever!, by Saabaru
Agree, C126 is very good. While nothing has ever matched the elegance of the two-door W111 & W112, things were easier then because there weren’t many rules with which to comply. Visually, the W111/112 is one of those rare machines with no aspect less than perfect.
In the early 2000s, as a member of MBCA, I attended a special tour of the new Mercedes-Benz dealership in Sugar Land, Texas (suburb of Houston). I was talking with the general manager of the dealership about, what else, Mercedes-Benz automobiles of the past, present and future.
What the G.M. told me then wasn’t a shock, because I believe it too, but a bit of a surprise coming from an individual whose primary business purpose was selling new Benz. He said the W126 (and I suppose the C126 by extension) were the “quintessence” of Mercedes-Benz automobiles. Remember, at the time this particular model was more than a decade past production.
I took the “quintessence” comment to mean these were the last Mercedes-Benz automobiles to be built to a specification instead of a price, uncompromising engineering for safety and comfort and cost be damned. At the time I was driving a W124 coupe and had previously owned a W124 sedan. I fully understood what he was saying.
For a car intended to be used, the C126 would be my pick, probably with the smaller engine to save a few drops of fuel. But, to look at….the W111/2 coupe is timeless, and it’s remembered much more than the 126.
I had the pleasure of driving a 500 sedan thirty years ago. Like a magic carpet ride.
In the city where I lived in the eighties, nearly e v e r y red light district baron had a C126 (though some even prefered Porsches or Corvettes). To me, the C126 will always keep that connotation. No judgement about the car’s qualities.
The W112 with the big 6, absolutely peak M-B. Still real Olde World quality and classic style.
I was always intrigued by the fact that 2 of M-Bs most brilliant designers, Bracq and Sacco, were French and Italian, respectively. Although not native Germans, both were geniuses at expressing the Germanic automotive zeitgeist into physical form.
Bracq also worked his magic at BMW. Sacco was propelled into his career when he saw the radical 1950 Studebaker Commander on a street in a small town in the Italian alps. He ultimately succeeded Friedrich Geiger of 300SL fame, Amazingly both of these automotive greats, born in 1933 are still alive as far as I can tell and are at least 90 years old!
Interesting you choose the six: with the last, the V8, they flattened and widened the grille just enough to make it just so (it’d always been a tad too tall n’ skinny for me prior), and they added the Facel-Vega-type stacked lights in all markets. Perfection!
But perhaps you’re a forever fan of the Faberge Egg headlights, as CC’s esteemed Don Andreina – who also loves them – named the one-piece headlights of yore.
I want to get a C126 too, preferable the one from Southern California region. After years of 4-door car and five-door SUV, i would like a 2-door coupe, a nonce popular car form. We all agree that the E class coupe is a beautiful car. But a sad story is Mercedes dropped its S class coupe this year. Ironically BMW just introduced its 8 series coupe few years ago.
Just for information only, someone said the owners of S class coupe is among the highest income people in US.
And SAABs of the era had the highest % of owners with post-graduate degrees.
I know which cohort I’d prefer to hang out with. lol
Meh. Peak Mercedes may have been the 1950s given the complete ruin their factories were in after the 40s, their racing successes in the early 50s and the gorgeous, fast, hand-built and tech-advanced road cars of the era.
This is just a coke dealer’s car.
Yeah it defintely is the official car for “the bad guy of the week” on Miami Vice lol. Personally I love the big SEC Benz. Its everything the Eldorado SHOULD have been in the 80’s.
“Are there any nits that need picking”
Yes, the $57,550 MSRP that made even cars like the 928S ($44,000) or XJS ($34,700) seem cheap. Your coupe better be perfect if it’s gonna cost the equivalent of 2⅔ Mark VIIs.
I had two of these and wouldn’t mind another. I remember first seeing this car in a movie and it was love at first sight and that was(and still is) the only MB I truly like.